Award-losing commentary on books, authors and publishing.

January 18, 2008

The 2008 Edgar Award Nominees are...

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce, as we celebrate the 199th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, its Nominees for the 2008 Edgar Allan Poe
Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television
and film published or produced in 2007. The Edgar® Awards will be
presented to the winners at our 62nd Gala Banquet, May 1, 2008 at the
Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City.

The Birthday Party by Stanley Alpert (Penguin Group – G.P. Putnam's Sons)Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedyby Vincent Bugliosi (W.W. Norton and CompanyChasing
Justice: My Story of Freeing Myself After Two Decades on Death Row for
a Crime I Didn't Commit by Kerry Max Cook (HarperCollins – William
Morrow)Relentless Pursuit: A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit by Kevin Flynn (Penguin Group – G.P. Putnam's Sons)Sacco & Vanzetti: The Men, The Murders and the Judgment of Mankind by Bruce Watson (Penguin Group – Viking)

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)Shadows on Society Hill by Evelyn Coleman (American Girl Publications)Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn (Clarion Books)The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh (Hyperion Books for Young Readers)Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanen (Random House Children’s Books – Alfred A. Knopf)

Eastern Promises, Screenplay by Steven Knight (Focus Features)The Lookout, Screenplay by Scott Frank (Miramax)Michael Clayton, Screenplay by Tony Gilroy (Warner Bros. Pictures)No Country for Old Men, Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, based on the book by Cormac McCarthy (Miramax)Zodiac, Screenplay by James Vanderbilt, based on the book by Robert Graysmith (Warner Bros. Pictures)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

"The Catch" – Still Waters by Mark Ammons (Level Best Books)

GRAND MASTER

Bill Pronzini

RAVEN AWARDS

Center for the Book in the Library of CongressKate's Mystery Books (Kate Mattes, owner)

About typical of the Edgars (or any awards for that matter). Some good choices, some glaring omissions, and some real p.o.s. puzzlers. At least I've heard of almost all the books this year (in the major categories).

For the top 3 categories, here would be my winners out of these:

BEST NOVEL
Down River by John Hart (St. Martin's Minotaur)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell (HarperCollins – William Morrow)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Who is Conrad Hirst? by Kevin Wignall (Simon & Schuster)

I think the Best Paperback Original category is by far the strongest list. Corbett's and Abbott's books are standouts, but the whole list is really strong. Some of the other lists have a quasi-literary feel to them, with books that I wouldn't have chosen over some superb books that are perhaps more traditional mysteries. Shocked and disappointed that neither Marcus Sakey nor Sean Chercover were on the shortlist for best first novel.

Apparently Tana French was born in Vermont although she has lived in Ireland since 1990.
I disagree In The Woods wasn't unreadable, but it did make me want to scream at the narrator many times.
I think it was probably intended to do that?

As a reader of Cormac's work - No Country, Horses, The Road etc - I am looking forward to seeing what the Coen Bros have done with No Country - advanced WOM is that it is faithful to the spirit of Cormac's book - hope to see it shortly

ROFL, Britain and the US are two countries united and diverse due to the shared language.....POS means in the UK [in retail terms] POINT OF SALE.....so if a book or retail Item has a POS deal it means the publisher or merchant has paid the bookstore or shop to place the rack / display near the 'till' i.e at Point of Sale.....Thanks for the clarification

Pretty insightful post. Never thought that it was this simple after all. I had spent a good deal of my time looking for someone to explain this subject clearly and you’re the only one that ever did that. Kudos to you! Keep it up

To put it in simple language, it is the first ever print of a book. if a book X written by author Y was printed for 50,000 copies in the first time, then there would be 50,000 First Edition / First Printing books for X.

About Me

David J. Montgomery is a writer and critic specializing in books and publishing. He is an emeritus columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and The Daily Beast, and has also written for USA Today, the Washington Post, and other fine publications. A former professor of History, he lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two daughters.